Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

October 24, 2012

Something big is brewing for Portland Beer Week

Now in its second year, the celebration of the local sudsculture has grown by hops and bounds.

By Meredith Goad mgoad@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

PORTLAND — When Allison Stevens sent out a handful of emails asking pub owners, beer distributors and brewers if they wanted to get together to plan this year's Portland Beer Week, she wasn't sure what to expect.

But when the night came and everyone gathered in the back room at Novare Res in the Old Port, more than 40 people showed up.

Stevens was surprised, but that's exactly what she wanted for the second year of beer week, which will be held Nov. 4-11.

"It's not coming from just one brand, and it's not coming from one distributor," she said. "It's coming from a really genuine place from people who just really care about beer."

The inaugural year of beer week was well received, but in a lot of ways, beer lovers say, it was kind of like Restaurant Week with beer as an add-on. This year Stevens, who owns The Thirsty Pig on Exchange Street, and her fellow beer geeks have structured an impressive line-up that is overflowing with nearly 60 events. And they did it all in barely two months.

"They want to include everyone, and I think she's done a ridiculously good job," said Jason Loring, co-owner of Nosh Kitchen Bar and Taco Escobarr, who is participating in several events.

Ten bars banded together to help pay for a national ad touting Portland Beer Week in Beer Advocate, and even distributors have been working together to help the schedule come together.

There will be beer-and-cheese pairings, brewery tours, a hot sauce-and-beer tasting, beer dinners, beer showcases, a "canned dinner" featuring Maine's canned beers, an "urban beer fashion show," a beer-and-chocolate tasting, tap takeovers and more.

"So it's not just about beer," Stevens said, "it's about beer in the community and beer as a culture and different gatherings for beer, so it's not just relying on the same few people who show up to events, but it's relying on these whole other populations of people."

Stevens has a background in event planning and says she learned a lot from observing the launch of the first Beer Week in Syracuse. She says she has spent $5,000 of her own money to pull this off. (Portland Beer Week will be selling T-shirts and other merchandise to help fund next year's beer week.)

"I know I won't come out ahead, but I don't always do things for that reason," Stevens said. "I've been fortunate enough to be in business here for a year. I really want to give back to the community with something I'm passionate about."

The week will end Nov. 11 with a big finale VIP party at Big Easy on Market Street for vendors, beer reps and bartenders. Tickets will be given away to the public as well, and Stevens says the more events you go to, the better shot you'll have at nabbing one of them.

Here's a detailed look at five of the events, followed by a complete schedule of Portland Beer Week:

BEER AND CHEESE, SO HAPPY TOGETHER

One of the first events of Portland Beer Week will actually be held in Brunswick. Ruth Miller, known as the "The Beer and Cheese Maven" of Vermont, will lead a guided beer-and-cheese pairing at 3 p.m. Nov. 4 at Lion's Pride in Brunswick.

She'll be pairing beers from Newcastle-based Oxbow with cheeses produced with 40 miles of the brewery. One of the Oxbow brewers will be on hand to answer questions, as will one of the cheesemakers.

(Continued on page 2)

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